The presence of 'maps' in sensory cortex is a hallmark of the mammalian nervous system, but the functional significance of topographic organization has been called into question by physiological studies claiming that patterns of neural behavioral activity transcend topographic boundaries. This paper discusses recent behavioral and physiological studies suggesting that, when animals or human subjects learn perceptual tasks, the neural modifications associated with the learning are distributed according to the spatial arrangement of the primary sensory cortical map. Topographical cortical representations of sensory events, therefore, appear to constitute a true structural framework for information processing and plasticity.

Learning through maps: Functional significance of topographic organization in primary sensory cortex / Diamond, Mathew E.; Petersen, Rasmus S.; Harris, Justin A.. - In: JOURNAL OF NEUROBIOLOGY. - ISSN 0022-3034. - 41:1(1999), pp. 64-68. [10.1002/(SICI)1097-4695(199910)41:1<64::AID-NEU9>3.0.CO;2-N]

Learning through maps: Functional significance of topographic organization in primary sensory cortex

Diamond, Mathew E.;
1999-01-01

Abstract

The presence of 'maps' in sensory cortex is a hallmark of the mammalian nervous system, but the functional significance of topographic organization has been called into question by physiological studies claiming that patterns of neural behavioral activity transcend topographic boundaries. This paper discusses recent behavioral and physiological studies suggesting that, when animals or human subjects learn perceptual tasks, the neural modifications associated with the learning are distributed according to the spatial arrangement of the primary sensory cortical map. Topographical cortical representations of sensory events, therefore, appear to constitute a true structural framework for information processing and plasticity.
1999
41
1
64
68
https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-4695(199910)41:1&lt;64::AID-NEU9&gt;3.0.CO;2-N
Diamond, Mathew E.; Petersen, Rasmus S.; Harris, Justin A.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11767/75194
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